“An F-35A Lightning II crashed at Hill Air Force Base in Utah on Wednesday night, forcing the pilot to eject and causing wildfires on the base,” Military.com reports.
“Around 6:15 p.m. local time, the fighter jet crashed on the runway, and on-base and off-base emergency response personnel immediately rushed to the scene.”
The unidentified pilot was safely recovered and examined at a hospital.
“The pilot ejected, was recovered and has been taken to [the] local medical center for observation,” Hill Air Force Base tweeted.
“The cause of the crash is unknown and will be investigated.”
The pilot ejected, was recovered and has been taken to local medical center for observation. https://t.co/swDmao0HIN
— Hill Air Force Base (@HAFB) October 20, 2022
WATCH:
https://twitter.com/AZgeopolitics/status/1582995365128962048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1582995365128962048%7Ctwgr%5Eabca080da47f0db959d87219645fe95c19caae2a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitizenfreepress.com%2Fbreaking%2Fusaf-f-35-fighter-jet-crashes-in-utah-raw%2F
ABC 4 Utah aired this video report:
From Military.com:
Col. Craig Andrle, commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, told news outlets in Utah during a press conference that the pilot was on his way back to the base when the crash occurred. He said he was grateful the F-35 pilot was able to avoid other damage while the aircraft was plummeting.
“Flying military aircraft is a risky business that we all accept when we go do it, and these things happen,” Andrle said, according to CNN. “And so tonight, first and foremost, we’re thankful that he’s OK. He got out of the aircraft. We’re thankful that nobody on the ground was injured.”
Residents near the base in Ogden, Utah, began posting photos on social media showing plumes of smoke wafting from the base.
“They land generally toward the south as they did today,” nearby resident Scott Phillips told CNN. “On approach, one appeared to lose power and dipped too low below the trees. Next thing I saw was fire.”
The crash caused an estimated 10-acre wildfire, according to a tweet from Utah Fire Info. Andrle told reporters the fire was extinguished in roughly an hour.
There have been a total of five Class-A mishaps, the term the Air Force uses for its most expensive or deadly crashes, involving the F-35 since 2014, according to the latest data from the Air Force Safety Center. The previous crash was in fiscal 2020.
The 388th Fighter Wing released an updated statement:
At approximately 6:15 p.m. yesterday, an F-35A Lightning II from the 388th Fighter Wing crashed at the north end of the runway at Hill Air Force Base. On and off-base emergency crews responded immediately.
The pilot ejected from the aircraft, was taken to a local hospital for observation and was treated and released last night.
The crash caused an 8-10 acre brush fire that was contained by fire crews from Hill AFB and the surrounding communities.
“Right now, we’re very thankful there were no serious injuries,” said Col. Craig Andrle, 388th Fighter Wing commander. “Our pilot is safe, everyone on the ground is safe and it’ doesn’t look like there was any other serious damage. We’re very thankful for our emergency responders and the support from the local communities.”
Five F-35s from the 388th Fighter Wing were diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport and will return to the base soon. Other local flying at Hill Air Force Base has been cancelled today and a decision on when local flying will resume has yet to be made.
“We take flying safety very seriously. Our maintainers and pilots do a great job. It’s in the forefront of our minds,” Andrle said. “I’m confident in the ability of our Airmen and this wing to carry out our mission as we complete all of our required incident response items and move forward.”
The cause of the incident is unknown. Air Force mishaps are investigated by a board of officers and an interim safety board has been established.
This is the first Air Force F-35A that has crashed at Hill AFB and the first crash at Hill Air Force Base since an F-16 crash in 2009.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!